Dive, Eat, & Dive Again! What more could you ask for? OK, so there's a lot more to do than just dive in this tropical oasis: spa treatments, partying, paintball, trekking, water sports, you name it. But if you're an avid diver, you probably won't want to get out of the water anyway.
According to a University of the Philippines study during the 1980's, Puerto Galera has one of the highest marine biodiversities in the world. It was also named "The Most Beautiful Bay in the World" by UNESCO in 2005, and is one of the main technical diving destinations in Asia. Nevertheless, with around 40 different dive sites, Puerto Galera caters to divers of all levels.
It still baffles me how close this paradise is to the city. To get to Puerto Galera, you take a car (though you can take a bus or charter a van) to Batangas pier, which only takes around an hour and a half from Manila, plus an additional hour boat ride to your resort. The last time I went to Puerto, I stayed in Buri Resort & Spa. It was very clean and comfortable, with on-the-ball staff and lovely facilities. The 170-step trek to our villa however, was something I could never get used to. For diving equipment and assistance, we went to Scandi Divers Resort in Big La Laguna Beach. We did around four dives in two days, all of which in the morning/early afternoon to avoid the strong currents. We saw trevally, long nose emperor snappers, big mouthed mackerel, morray & garden eels, an octopus, and even a barracuda. We were also given an absolute treat on our way back to the mainland on the bangka, where a pod of about twelve or thirteen dolphins bid us goodbye, and even came up to the boat to check us out. What luck!
Aside from dive, we also went cove hopping, cliff jumping, and jet skiing. There are no private beaches in Puerto Galera, so you can hire a bangka and have a picnic with the family in the cove of your choice. On the other hand, cliff jumping is fun and thrilling if done right -- just be careful about the current! If you want to try something a bit more controllable, jet skiing around the islands is a great way to feel absolutely free and "ski away" from all your problems. Though jet skiing is very monitored because Puerto is such a popular dive spot, it's a great way to appreciate the view.
Take a trip to the bayan as well if you want to shop or buy pasalubong. Just be careful in the very tourist-y spots -- they're full of very aggressive sales people, who will jack up the prices (especially if they see you're an oblivious foreigner), so don't be afraid to bargain. Aside from the usual t-shirt with "Puerto Galera" colourfully sprawled on the front, you can also find quirky items like tie-dyed pants and shirts with funky patterns, which you can get creative with and make into something later.